It wasn't all that long ago when the only operating system that an organization could run on network hardware was the operating system that was purpose-built by the vendor. Open Networking is now more commonplace, with vendors enabling organization with a choice of different operating systems.

D-Link is among the many vendors that now has and Open Networking portfolio of bare metal switches. Among the first of D-Link's Open Networking switches is the DSX-5000-54S, which is a one rack unit (1RU), 54- port, top-of-rack (ToR) switch. The 54 ports include 48 that support 10 Gigabit Ethernet and six that support 40 Gigabit Ethernet.

The Open Compute Project's (OCP), open-source Open Network Install Environment (ONIE) is a core part the DSX-5000-54S, providing network administrators with the ability to load the network operating system of their choice on the switch.

In addition to the ONIE version of the switch, D-Link also has a version where Pluribus Netvisor version 2.6 is installed, providing organizations with a pre—installed open networking system.

"IT directors are looking for networking solutions that will provide the ability to cultivate rapid innovation while decreasing costs,” said Michael Hardy, president, D-Link Systems, said in a statement. "Combined with our world-class service organization and our industry-leading Lifetime Warranties, D-Link and Pluribus Networks help bring superior agility with our Open Networking switches."

The Pluribus Netvisor OS is a virtualized operating system enabling a single physical network device to run multiple virtual network appliances. Going a step up the stack, Netvisor OS lets devices become part of the Pluribus Adaptive Cloud Fabric architecture, which provides a distributed Software Defined Network (SDN) fabric that aggregates multiple switches into a logical operating domain.

"The economic benefits and operational value of open networking strategies are becoming more important today as organizations are driving their network transformation to support a more digital-centric architecture," Kumar Srikantan, president and chief executive officer of Pluribus Network, stated. "The addition of the D-Link hardware expands the market reach for Pluribus Networks by increasing the customers’ freedom of choice and bringing next-generation SDN to a broader range of environments."

Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at EnterpriseNetworkingPlanet and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.